WhatisanOystercard?Oysteristhe-优题课

Modern inventions have speeded up people's lives amazingly．Motor cars cover a hundred miles in lithe more than an hour，aircraft cross the world inside a day，while computers operate at lightning speed．Indeed，this love of speed seems never ending．Every year motor cars are produced which go even faster and each new computer boasts(吹嘘)of saving precious seconds in handling tasks．
All this saves time，but at a price．When we lose or gain half a day in speeding across the world in an airplane，our bodies tell us so．We get the uncomfortable feeling known as j et lag； our bodies feel that they have been left behind in another time zone．Again，spending too long at computers results in painful wrists and fingers．Mobile phones also，according to some scientists；too much use may put harmful radiation into our brains，a consequence we do not like to think about．
However，what do we do with the time we have saved? Certainly not relax，or so it seems．We are so accustomed to constant activity that we find it difficult to sit and do nothing or even just one thing at a time．Perhaps the days are long gone when we might listen quietly to a story on the radio，letting imagination take us into another world．
There was a time when some people's lives were devoted simply to the cultivation(耕耘)of the land or the care of cattle．No multi tasking there；their lives went on at a much gentler pace，and in a familiar pattern．There is much that we might envy about a way of life like this．Yet before we do so，we must think of the hard tasks our ancestors faced：they farmed with bare hands，often lived close to hunger，and had to make tools from wood and stone. Modern machinery has freed people from that primitive existence.
What's the passage mainly about?(within 10 words)

List the difficulties our ancestors met according to the text．(within 15 words)
①
②
③
Fill in the blank in the 2nd paragraph with proper words or phrases．

Why do we make new products more and more time-saving according to Paragraph 1 of this passage?

Translate the underlined sentence in the 3rd paragraph into Chinese．

How often do you sit still and do absolutely nothing．The usual answer these days is“never”．or“hardly ever”．As the pace of life continues to increase，we are fast losing the art of relaxation．Once you are in the habit of rushing through life，being on the go from morning till night，it is hard to slow down．But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body．
Stress is fl natural part of everyday life．There is no way to avoid it, since it takes many and varied forms-driving in traffic，problems with personal relationships are all different forms of stress．Stress，in fact，is not the“baddy”it is often reputed to be．A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life．It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health．
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual．Some people are not afraid of stress，and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities．Others lose heart at the first sight of unusual difficulties．When exposed to stress，in whatever form，we react both chemically and physically．In fact we make a choice between “fight” or “fright” and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life and death．The crisis we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme，but however little the stress，it involves the same response．All the energy is shifted to cope with the stress．It is when such a reaction lasts long，through continued exposure to stress，that health becomes endangered．Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress．
Stress in some people produces stomach disorders，while others experience tension headaches．Since we cannot remove stress from our 1ires，We need to find ways to cope with it．
People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because.

A．they are working harder than they used to

B．they are often too busy to find the time

C．they are not clear of how to relax by themselves

D．they are suffering from the effects of stress

What is implied but not stated in the passage?

A．The art of relaxation can greatly help people bear stress．

B．People in primitive days know certain ways to deal with stress．

C．If one gets into the habit of relaxing every day he can overcome stress easily．

D．Stress can lead to serious health problem if one is exposed to it for too long．

The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 suggests that．

A．stress is not always a bad thing for people

B．stress has a bad reputation of causing ill health

C．stress is not so terrible as people often believe it to be

D．stress is always harmful to people all the time

According to this passage，which of the following statements is true?

A．Relaxation in life only benefits us mentally．

B．Different people can stand different amounts of stress.

C．All the stress can lead to poor performance．

D．Large amounts of stress is important to people's lire．

What is the writer's attitude to stress according to the passage?

A．Stress as well as relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body．

B．Stress should not be rid completely from the life．

C．Stress produces both positive and negative effects on people．

D．People usually work better under stress if they are healthy．

A baby born in India has been declared the world's seven billionth person by child rights group Plan International．Baby Nargis was born at 07：25 local time(01：55GMT)in Mall village in India's Uttar Pradesh state．Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born．In addition to baby Nargis in India，Bangladesh，the Philippines and Cambodia have all identified seven billionth babies．The United Nations estimated that on Monday 31 October．the world's population would reach seven billion．
Populations are growing faster than economies in many poor countries in Africa and some in Asia．At the same time，low birth rates in Japan and many European nations have raised concerns about labor shortages．
Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached six billion in October 1999．They predict nine billion by 2050 and ten billion by the end of the century． China's population of one and a third billion is currently the world's largest．India is second at 1．2 billion．But India is expected to pass China and reach one and a half billion people around 2025．
India will also have one of the world's youngest populations．Economists say this is a chance for a so-called．demographic dividend．India could gain from the skills of young people in a growing economy at a time when other countries have aging populations．But economists say current rates of growth，although high，may not create enough jobs．Also，the public education system is failing to meet demand and schooling is often of poor quality．Another concern is health care．Nearly half of India's children under the age of five are malnourished(营养不良).
Michal Rutkowski，the director of human development in South Asia at the World Bank, says reaching seven billion people in the world is a good time for a call to action．He says，“I think the bottom line of the story is that the public policy needs to become really，really serious about sex equality and about access to services—to fight against malnutrition，and to provide for access to health services，water and schooling．”
What is true about the world's seven billionth person?

A．Baby Nargis is not the only child chosen as the seven billionth baby.

B．Baby Nargis has been chosen carefully so it is exactly the seven billionth baby．

C．Three countries have all declared Baby Nargis as the seven billi011th baby.

D．The United Nations declared Baby Nargis as the world's seven billionth person．

Which of the following problems do many European countries worry about?

A．Labor shortage．	B．Poor health care．
C．Not enough jobs．	D．Schooling of poor quality．

According to population experts，how long will it take for population to grow from six billion to nine billion?

A．About 12 years．

B．About 40 years．

C．About 50 years．

D．About 110 years．

What does the underlined phrase“demographic dividend”in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A．Possibility of lower birth rate．

B．Benefit gained by working young people．

C．Chances for more employment．

D．Disadvantages caused by aging population．

Which of the following public policies does Michal Rutkowski call on?

A．To encourage late marriage．	B．To reduce world's population．
C．To gain economic equality．	D．To improve health and education．

Like any good mother，when Karen found out that another baby was on the way，she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son，Michael，prepare for a new baby．They find out that the new baby is going to be a girl，and day after day，night after night，Michael sings to his sister in Mommy's stomach．
Finally，Michael's little sister is born．But she is in serious condition．With alarm in the night，the ambulance rushes the infant to the neonatal(初生的)intensive care unit at St． Mary's Hospital，Knoxville，Tennessee．The days go by．The little girl gets worse．The pediatric(儿科的)specialist tells the parents，“There is very little hope．Be prepared for the worst.”
Karen and her husband contact a local cemetery about a burial plot．They have fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby，but now they plan a funeral．Michael，keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister，“I want to sing to her，”he says．
Karen makes up her mind．She will take Michael whether they like it or not．If he doesn't see his sister now，he may never see her alive．
She dresses him in an oversized suit and marches him into ICU．He looks like a walking laundry basket，but the head nurse recognizes him as a child and shouts，“Get that kid out of here now! No children are allowed．Never disturb patients here．”The mother rises up strongly and said，“He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!”
Karen leads Michael to his sister's bedside．He gazes at the tiny infant losing the battle to live．And he begins to sing．In the pure hearted voice of a 3-year-old，Michael sings：“You are my sunshine，my only sunshine，you make me happy when skies are gray．．．”Instantly the baby girl responds．The pulse rate becomes calm and steady．
The next day，the very next day，the little girl is well enough to go home! Woman's Day magazine called it“the miracle of a brother's song．”The medical staff just called it a miracle．Karen called it a miracle of God's love!
Never give up on the people you love．
What may the underlined words“the infant”refer to?

A．The baby．

B．Karen．

C．Mary．

D．Michael．

What do we know about the little sister after she was born?

A．She was driven to St．Mary's shop．

B．A doctor came to see her in her house．

C．She was very thin and couldn't speak．

D．She was in great danger．

Why did Karen firmly let little Michael see his sister in ICU?

A．Because he could make his sister alive．

B．Because his sister would be sent to a far hospital．

C．Because his sister was going to die soon.

D．Because his father wanted to take him away．

What do we know about the head nurse?

A．The head nurse was careful．	B．The bead nurse was rude．
C．The head nurse was responsible．	D．The head nurse had no sympathy．

What is the general idea of the text?

A．A boy's singing saved his sister's life．

B．The little girl is well enough to go home．

C．Michael's little sister is born with a serious disease．

D．No children are allowed to enter the intensive care unit．

In America，Virginia Beach has all the elements of a classic seaside resort：brilliant beaches，a lively boardwalk，plenty of restaurants and nightspots，and amusement rides sure to appeal to kids．Many believe Virginia Beach is at its best in the off-season，when the town is less crowded but the weather is still mild．
Meanwhile，some safety tips should be followed，enjoying the happiness and excitement the beach offers．
The number l safety tip concerns ocean safety：pay attention to Flag conditions posted on the lifeguard stands．Lifeguards post a red flag to warn when the ocean water is dangerous．Take them seriously! Tourists from land-locked regions are particularly easily attracted by the magic of the waves．However，a calm ocean can become risky without warning．Make sure you swim near a lifeguard．Swimming without lifeguard protection is almost five times as great as drowning at a beach with lifeguards．
Never swim alone．Many drownings involve single swimmers．When you swim with someone else，if one of you has a problem，the other may be able to get help，including signaling for assistance from others．
Don't fight the current．The facts show that some 80％ of rescues by lifeguards at ocean beaches are caused by currents．These currents are formed by surf and gravity，because once surf pushes water up the slope of a beach，gravity pulls it back．This can create concentrated rivers of water moving offshore．If you are caught in a rip current，don't fight it by trying to swim directly to shore．Instead，swim parallel to shore until you feel the current relax，then swim to shore．Most rip currents are narrow and a short swim parallel to shore will help bring you to safety．
When coming to Virginia Beach，children can enjoy the happiness of the following except .

A．walking on the road made of wood	B．joining the nightspots
C．having interesting rides	D．skiing in the sea

Many people believe the best time to visit Virginia Beach may be.

A．after autumn school term beginning	B．in the slimmer vacation
C．during the Christmas holiday	D．in the cold winter

Swimming in the sea you'd better not swim.

A．with a friend	B．within the sight of the lifeguard
C．with the current	D．as far as you like

From the passage，we can know.

A．one in five persons swimming in the sea is drowned

B．if one with lifeguard were drowning，five persons without lifeguard would be

C．some 80％people drowning by the currents are rescued by lifeguards

D．some 20％drowning by the currents are rescued by life guards

The passage mainly tells us.

A．some safety tips when swimming in the sea

B．the happiness and excitement the beach offers

C．Virginia Beach has all the elements of a classic seaside resort

D．the dangers for tourists from land-locked regions to swim in the sea

A．at a post office	B．at an Oyster Ticket stop
C．on the website	D．at a Tube station